According to the United Nations, the average plastic takes anywhere from 20 to 500 years to break down, but it’s never fully gone. Pieces of plastic turn into microplastics, which find their way into the oceans and our food, posing a threat to both humans and wildlife.
In recent years, the use of fungi in breaking down plastics has been studied by biotechnology companies such as Sporadicate, whose goal is to “eventually be able to process twenty tons of plastic a week,” according to Gavin Pechey, the company’s founder.
Decomposing fungi already play a critical role in ecosystems around the world, breaking down dead matter and recycling its chemical elements, especially carbon, back into their surrounding ecosystem. Sporadicate intends to use this valuable property of certain species of fungi to minimize the environmental impact of plastics on the environment.
Besides breaking down plastic waste, different fungi species have incredibly diverse applications, such as use in clothing as faux-leather, and even as building materials for homes!
This leather substitute is so realistic that it was even used by the designer fashion company brand Hermès as the base for their mushroom-leather handbag sold in 2022. Further popularization of mushroom leather could help decrease carbon emissions, lessening the impact of climate change.
Besides use in the fashion industry, certain species of fungi can be utilized in construction through the invention of mushroom-bricks.
In Namibia just last year, the research group Mycohab built a house entirely of mushroom bricks. Mycohab hopes the house is the first of many, as affordable mushroom-block houses have the potential to alleviate the immense amount of poverty and homelessness plaguing Namibia.
Overall, fungi are an incredible resource that scientists are only just beginning to apply to environmental conservation. With their extensive applications, including plastic decomposition, mushroom leather, and mushroom bricks, fungi can help us achieve ethical solutions to modern environmental issues.
